I read over an interesting article that Kraddy shared this morning. It calculates what it would take a solo songwriter to make the equivalent of an average salary at Spotufy... That number is 288 million+ plays. That is an unrealistic goal, and a depressing high water mark of where the industry has been taking the value of a song or album. Here's the aforementioned article : https://thetrichordist.com/2016/05/26/songwriter-would-need-288-million-spins-to-equal-average-spotify-employee-salary/ We are at a critical time in music history. The tools to create are within every smart phone and computer, freeware and affordable software allows the average person to play around with music without the complicated process of renting a studio, knowing what the hell your doing, and spending countless hours and dollars creating an idea. A home studio with entry level monitors, cheap microphones, and a laptop is now capable of creating music that can stand in the ring with billboard charting products pumped out of million dollar rooms. Every song you want, you can find, for free (or the low cost of a subscription), quickly, on any Internet ready device. You no longer need to know theory, mixing, or sound design. These things can be mimicked by virtual plugins or paid for by the dozen, ready for the young artist to manipulate and enjoy. The cost of making music has shrunken, and with it the cost of enjoy/owning music has become next to nothing. This process has paralleled the rise of new 1-2 person touring acts, pseudo-DJs playing slightly altered versions of familiar hits and flavor of the week singles. Acts that headline festivals before they've ever learned to blend two tracks smoothly in their "Dj" set. These acts often find that pairing with tastemaker blogs and big management house helps "brand" them, often before the content is there, because it's easier to gather the results of what works for others and apply it to your brand than to actually build a brand. We all have fallen for it. It's the musical equivalent of what Doritos did; research the chemicals that trick your brain into thinking the flavors actually indicate nutrient rich food that you need to keep eating, without knowing why you just finished the bag in ten minutes. That's fine. That's a pop music approach, and electronic producers who can steal what's popular and repackage it will always have a team of suits building a bridge to their future, I'm not mad about it. Just explaining a bunch of aspects so this rant makes sense.. Independent music is inspiring. It's rise to acceptance, without the assistance of prominent labels and branding and such, gives me the feeling of freedom, of possibility. I remember driving 15 hours from Colorado to Dallas to see the Living Legends, where my friends & I showed support by purchasing hundreds of dollars of albums and tees because we believed in LL, and their existence helped us believe in ourselves. Independent artists 10-20 years ago could press CD's for tour and hustle after their set to pay their bills while giving their fans a piece of the legacy & the feeling that they helped their favorite artist keep creating. Underground acts could sell their music online and ship worldwide, helping supplement their art form financially without having to tour vigorously. Art that wasn't going to translate to a live audience, but still completed us when we listened to it in our headphones and cars could be created, and enjoyed. That's no longer the case. Now, an artist must tour to live. And everyone tours. Fans aren't able to go to all the shows, because come spring & fall EVERYONE is cramming into vans & tourbusses, trying to prove their relevance and worth to a fan base than has to pick and choose who it supports. Artists see which songs work live, and go back in the studio to chase that formula rather than tell their story. We're losing what we love, because there's no money in anything but helping people escape their life for a night or a weekend, next to their friends and strangers. We no longer have the patience to follow an album through its narrative. We want anthems. We want escape that we can anticipate when the beat drops. We wan atmosphere and distraction over substance. So much of why I love music is its' diversity, the peaks and valleys of energy, emotion, intent, etc that have existed my whole life. Ambient albums I can drift away to, love songs that don't need to be played on the dance floor, headphone music that helps me organize my personal experiences into a cohesive life.. I'm fearing that will all die soon. Not completely, for art will always seep back into the shadows of the soul when the world falls out of love with ur, but we are experiencing a tragic shift in support for art that doesn't go well with your favorite drug on a weekend. What about the albums you listen to when you're coming down? Those sunrise gems that fix you after a night or weekend of exploration and self destruction, where you saved your money and paid the Djs playing your favorite club anthems? The system is broken and those who regurgitate what works are rewarded. We are reaching the era where it's harder to justify making music for the soul because people want a brand they can trust to give them a product they're familiar with come tour season. Be aware that you're voting with your time and money, and if you only vote for those who got rich off of copying what works, you will soon have but a shell of the music you once fell in love with. Thank you for giving me the chance to do something that I believe in with my life. I owe you all the world, and I hope to see this system find a way to support ALL the talented creators out there, not just the ones with a slick business plan.
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